Seattle Animal Shelter news and events

Archives for December 2009

The Seattle Animal Shelter will be closed for the Christmas and New Year holidays on Friday, Dec. 25, 2009, and Friday, Jan. 1, 2010. Field enforcement officers will not be available on those days. The shelter will resume its regular hours the day after each holiday.

If you find a stray animal, you are encouraged to care for the animal until the shelter reopens the following day. If it is a life-threatening situation involving humans, call 911. All other calls should go to the Seattle Police Department nonemergency number, (206)625-5011.

The Seattle Animal Shelter’s regular hours are: Tuesday through Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. for adoptions and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for licensing. For more information, please call (206)386-PETS(7387).

SEATTLE — Beginning Jan. 1, 2010, the cost to adopt dogs and cats from the Seattle Animal Shelter will increase. The increase, which was adopted as part of the 2010 budget, includes increased fees for spaying and neutering, increased license fees for dogs only, and the cost of vaccinations, which was previously absorbed by the shelter.

“If you have been considering adopting a dog or cat, now would be a good time to visit us, or our web site, and see all of the wonderful pets looking for their forever homes. Adopting a pet from a shelter gives a homeless animal a second chance in life and is a great value as it includes vaccinations, microchip, your pet’s first vet visit, and spay/neuter surgery. And if you adopt before the end of the year, you will be able to take advantage of the lower price,” said Shelter Director Don Jordan.

The spay and neuter fee increases will allow the clinic to fully recover expenditures while continuing to provide assistance to low-income pet owners through a special Pet Population Control Fund. The increase in the dog license fees will provide funds to retain two enforcement officers who provide field services.

The total cost for adopting a dog will now range from $202 to $237; and for a cat will range from $152 to $157. The costs break down as follows:

Discounted fees continue for anyone holding the city of Seattle’s “Gold Card” or “FLASH Card.” A cardholder is eligible to adopt a dog or cat aged six years or older, free of charge, and receive a 50-percent discount on a pet license. This offer is in addition to another program offering cardholders a 50-percent discount on adoption fees for cats aged 2 years or older.

Through the Mayor’s Office for Senior Citizens, residents of greater Seattle, who are 60 years of age or older, are eligible for the “Gold Card for Healthy Aging” and adults with disabilities are eligible for the “FLASH Card.”

For more information about the “Gold Card” and “FLASH Card” programs, call the Mayor’s Office for Senior Citizens at (206)684-0500.

The Seattle Animal Shelter is open Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for licensing, and noon to 6 p.m. for adoptions. It is located at 2061 – 15th Ave. W. The phone number is (206)386-PETS(7387). Animals available for adoption can be viewed online at http://www.seattleanimalshelter.org.

SEATTLE — The Seattle Animal Shelter continues showcasing “cool city pets” for adoption every third Saturday of the month – this month on Dec. 19. Between the hours of noon and 3 p.m., potential adopters can get acquainted with the many small animals available for adoption from the shelter, located at 2061 15th Ave. W., about a mile south of the Ballard Bridge. Available small animals include hamsters, gerbils, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats and mice.

“The Seattle Animal Shelter isn’t just about cats and dogs anymore,” says Director Don Jordan. “Because of our tremendous success in adopting out cats and dogs, we are now entrusted with the lives of all animals when pet owners can no longer care for them. Adopting an animal from the Seattle Animal Shelter is the right thing to do.”

Volunteer small-animal specialists are on hand to help adopters find the right pet for them. They provide information about each animal’s characteristics and needs, demonstrate basic care and handling skills, and answer questions.

All ages are welcome, but children must be accompanied by an adult. Animals may be adopted by adults only. Adopters must be prepared to provide proper housing, food, water, toys and other materials necessary for the good health of the animal. The adoption fee for small animals ranges from $5 to $25.

If you would like more information or directions, please call (206) 386-PETS(7387) or visit the shelter’s website at http://www.seattleanimalshelter.org. The shelter is open Tuesday through Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. for adoptions and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for licensing.

The Seattle Animal Shelter reserves the right to approve or deny any animal adoptions and limits the number of small animal adoptions to no more than three per household.

SEATTLE — As part of its ongoing outreach efforts to find suitable permanent homes for foster animals, the Seattle Animal Shelter hosts a cat adoptathon on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009, at Yesler Community Center, located at 917 E. Yesler Way. The event runs from noon to 3 p.m. and features numerous cats of different breeds.

“By holding monthly adoptathons in neighborhoods throughout Seattle, we are able to spread the word about the joys of adopting shelter pets and saving lives. If you have room in your home and your heart for an orphaned animal, this is a great opportunity to come and see some of the wonderful pets available from our foster-care parents,” says Don Jordan, Seattle Animal Shelter director.

Adoption prices for cats range from $102 to $107 and include:

· Initial vaccinations

· Deworming

· Feline Leukemia testing

· Certificate for free health exam at local veterinarians

· Spay or neuter

· Microchip (About the size of a grain of rice, the microchip is injected under the cat’s skin, providing an identification number associated with that animal. Animal shelters can then “scan” a lost animal and retrieve its records from the microchip.)

· Two-year Seattle Pet License (if applicable)

To help reduce the number of animals euthanized, the Seattle Animal Shelter has a foster-care program to rehabilitate sick and immature dogs and cats. Donations from the city’s “Help the Animals Fund” pay for veterinary care for these animals.

The Seattle Animal Shelter is open Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for licensing, and noon to 6 p.m. for adoptions. It is located at 2061 – 15th Ave. W. The phone number is (206)386-PETS(7387). Animals available for adoption can be viewed online at http://www.seattleanimalshelter.org.

SEATTLE – The Seattle Animal Shelter announced today “Santa Claws” will be at the shelter on Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009, from noon to 4 p.m., to pose for holiday photos with local pets and their owners as part of the shelter’s annual fund-raiser. With a $25 donation to the shelter’s “Help the Animals Fund,” each pet owner will be receive a print photo and digital photo.

“Many of the orphaned animals arriving at the shelter are sick, injured, malnourished or abused,” says Seattle Animal Shelter Executive Director Don Jordan. “Seattle’s ‘Help the Animals Fund’ gives these animals a second chance by paying for veterinary care through our foster care program. This event is the perfect way to help Seattle’s orphaned animals during the holiday season and receive a holiday keepsake of your pet.”

Photos will be taken in the shelter’s upper floor conference room. The shelter is located at 2061 – 15th Ave. W., approximately one mile south of the Ballard Bridge. Pets and their owners should enter the building on the 15th Avenue West side. All dogs should be on leashes and cats and other furry critters should be in carriers.

This holiday season, animal lovers can also consider giving the gift of friendship to family and friends in the form of a gift certificate to help subsidize the adoption of a
four-legged companion from the shelter.

“There are so many good reasons for giving gift certificates toward the adoption of an animal from a shelter,” Jordan says. “You give orphaned animals a second chance in life and the recipients of the certificate can take their time choosing their special pet from an amazing variety of dogs, cats and critters, from mixed breeds to purebreds. Finally, by adopting from a shelter, you directly help reduce the suffering caused by the country’s tremendous pet overpopulation problem.”

Adopting an animal from the Seattle Animal Shelter saves that animal’s life and reduces unnecessary euthanasia of healthy, adoptable animals. It is also a tremendous value. Most adoption packages range from $102 to $180 and include:

· Initial vaccinations

· Deworming

· Free health exam at a local veterinarian’s office

· Spay or neuter

· Microchip

· Seattle pet license

To purchase a gift certificate, make a donation, talk with an adoption counselor or preview animals for adoption, please visit the Seattle Animal Shelter at 2061 – 15th Ave. W., approximately one mile south of the Ballard Bridge. The Seattle Animal Shelter is open Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for licensing, and noon to 6 p.m. for adoptions. The phone number is (206)386-PETS(7387). Animals available for adoption can be viewed online at http://www.seattleanimalshelter.org.